


The Six Kings

by Moongem



Category: Minecraft (Video Game), RWBY, Rooster Teeth/Achievement Hunter RPF
Genre: M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-06-16
Updated: 2015-06-16
Packaged: 2018-04-04 18:29:08
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,656
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4148337
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Moongem/pseuds/Moongem
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>A young man finds himself stumbling across the landscape of a vaguely familiar land. He happens upon tavern, in which a young woman is recounting a long and tragic tale. The story seems at once far away yet close. Like something from a dream long ago. Or perhaps...a memory from long ago. <br/>The young man decides to listen to the story. Perhaps it will help him regain his memory. Or at least take his mind off the man staring at him from across the room. The man with a face he cannot quite place, but he'll surely remember soon...</p>
            </blockquote>





	The Six Kings

The Six Kings

He had no idea how long he had been wandering- hours, days, months, years? It was all muddled together for him- his memories. He knew he had them, and he knew he had a name, but he couldn’t recall exactly what it was. All he knew was that he had been wandering, and it was bloody cold. The young man pulled his green cloak closer to his body, hoping he’d find a place before night fell. The mist around him swirled like white smoke, making the landscape of green rolling hills look eerily beautiful. At last he came upon what seemed to be a stout building made out of wood. The windows glowed with warm light from inside, and a creaking sign that hung above the door read: The Golden Tavern.  
Shakily, the man pushed open the door and stumbled inside. Instantly, his body was warmed by the heat of the many hearths in the tavern, and he realized for the first time just how tired he had been. Everyone inside was laughing and singing, and looked friendly enough, so he sat down at a wobbly table near to a small stage in the corner. After ordering something to eat, and filling his empty stomach, he got a good look around. There was a fair amount of people and they were all chattering loudly to each other.  
Except one.  
There was another young man, around his age, with curly hair and an angry looking face that kept staring at him. He cleared his throat awkwardly and looked away, only to notice the other man staring at him again. But he didn’t look angry, or like he wanted to fight- more surprised and- was that...sadness in his eyes?  
The young man looked away nervously, not understanding the feelings of pain and happiness that mingled chaotically in his stomach. But all thoughts of pain disappeared when a pretty young woman with dark red hair walked up on to the little stage. She took a seat on a creaky stool and a few men with instruments walked on to join her.  
They began to play an eerie, and sad sounding melody that the woman hummed along to. She had a beautiful voice and swayed softly to the music. The entire place was hush, and everyone was transfixed by their song. Eventually the young woman began to speak- or rather, she began to sing. Her words sometimes came out with more melody to them, and sometimes as if she were reciting a poem. But they were always to the rhythm of the ghostly song, and they went like this: 

‘Far away, in lands forgotten  
lies the graves of the six great kings  
The heroes, villains, and star-crossed lovers  
from tales that I now sing

Years ago, they ruled this land,  
cyclic, in fair turns  
But then the sword of vengeance stabbed;   
the fires of hatred burned

The kings each turned from one another,   
plotting five dark deaths  
The taste of power, sweet and cruel   
was enough to risk final breath

The first to turn was the great Mad King,   
killer of all that breathes  
Dark rumours and lies he began to spin,   
and trickery he did weave

Geoff the first, right, and just   
had been tricked by this scheme as well  
His nobility turned to dark deceit,   
and his mercy to a flaming hell

Michael, once protector of all,   
began to turn on the weak  
His pride devoured the helpless;  
his wars destroyed the meek

Ray, the King of Roses  
retreated to the dark of night  
His deeds were done in darkness,  
and his schemes planned out of sight

Jack the King,   
who lost it all before he ever won  
Was filled with greed and jealousy   
till his kindness was all but gone

Gavin the Free, became a slave,   
his laughter turned to tears  
He sang his secret song of love,   
but his lover would not hear

Mogar was now a mercenary,   
and Geoff the Mad King’s judge  
Ray of Roses, a cold assassin,   
and Jack still held his grudge

All the great kings once so great,   
had been conquered- pushed down low  
Gavin the Prince, forced to be a Jester-   
had nowhere left go go

The Mad King’s power stretched across the land,   
his power encompassed all  
Little did he know- his malevolence   
was the source of his downfall

The Free Prince’s pleas were finally heard-   
his lover answered his call  
Michael and Gavin met in secret,   
at night in darkened halls

But just one Prince was not enough,   
and Michael wanted more  
He yearned to reclaim his stolen lands,   
and all would hear his roar

Geoff and Jack were not content,   
their greed consumed them too  
The Red Rose King still plotted revenge,   
and schemed his Master’s doom

And so they rallied; enemies as one,   
hatred made them unite  
Their plot was dark and grim,   
but their anger blazed like light

The night before their deadly plot,   
a clairvoyant was hired in court  
The portly man of bovine appearance   
saw all their lives cut short

The Mad King, overcome by fear,   
begged him to reveal what was destined  
But soon he’d wish the man never came-   
the prophet never questioned

The old man took a rattling breath,   
and slowly began his rhyme  
A fearsome riddle that would come true,   
and all of it in good time

“Mighty king Mogar, so self assured,   
so reckless, strong and brave,   
You’ll take your warring, cacophonous ways   
and pride straight to the grave

The Prince of Laughs, with jestering jokes,   
you always play the fool,  
But one dark day, you’ll meet your end   
in most final and gruesome duel

You the first and honoured king,   
once you were good and true  
But now a painful death awaits-   
one far long overdue

Jack, the king who never was,   
pining spite each day  
Dying slowly with each breath,   
desperate to lead the way

The King of roses, full of laughs,   
but respected and feared by none  
You’ll spend last days, alone in dark,   
as all you know is gone”

His loathsome words echoed ‘round the court,   
they filled them all with fear  
They sensed the truth of his deathly words-   
their ends were all quite near

By this time, Great King Ryan was pale,   
his sceptre, he gripped tight  
He urged the fortune teller to stop,   
and sleep now for the night

But the old man sneered with taunting voice,   
“You know I am not through  
But the coward inside shakes in fear   
of what I may say about you”

The Great Mad King was filled with shame,   
and regained his pride at once  
“Go on!” he said loudly,   
showing to all that he could be scared by none

And so the old man said:

“You the Mad King, delight in pain,   
a sadist through and through  
The death of your victims;   
tears and blood- is waiting at hand for you”

At this, the court was filled with fear,   
the Kings all in a craze  
And in a rage, the Mad King locked the old man up   
-a prisoner for the rest of his days

The prophet became a legend,   
-a cow thrown in a hole  
And the story of his punishment a well known tale-   
one that all would know

With that, the Mad King sped off  
to his grand bedchamber to rest  
Convinced that he should not heed the words   
darkly uttered by his guest

Back in meeting, Michael was sure:  
the prophets words were true  
But his pride made him think that they proved his plans,   
and his confidence only grew

The other four Kings agreed with him,   
but Gavin was weary in reply  
They quickly hushed him- none of them knowing   
the next day they would die

When the sun rose the following morn,   
the Kings were ready to fight  
They intended to kill Ryan in his chamber  
-overcome him with their might

But when they reached his royal rooms,   
he was nowhere to be found  
In truth he had been consulting the one   
he kept deep underground

He forced the truth out of the old man-   
and was told of the plot that day  
The Mad King was filled with fiery rage,   
and would make sure they all paid

He entered the room, a smile on his face,   
his sceptre in his hand  
“Get ready,” he said with sneering scowl,   
“For your deaths are all at hand.”

Before they could act, he struck out his staff,   
and Jack was hit in the chest  
A band of spikes wrapped round his lungs,  
and every breath brought him closer to death

The Angry King then turned to Geoff,   
attacking with knives that grind  
He sent golden sparks to burn Ray’s face,   
and the flashes made him blind

The enchanted blades churned in Geoff’s flesh,  
slowly draining him away  
And Ray’s blind pain made him stumble,   
and kept his swords at bay

With an evil grin, he turned to Michael,   
prepared to kill him cold  
But the great warrior was ready to fight-   
there was no one in the land so bold

They wheeled on each other, clashing weapons,   
and Mogar was about to win  
But the Mad King used his magic staff   
to trick and injure him

Across the room, illusions spawned,   
all of the Prince once Free  
They showed his lover dying in different ways,   
but all in agony

Michael stopped, and spun around,   
horrified at what he saw  
Then the Mad King swung his scepter forth,   
shattering his jaw

Mogar’s blood spattered on the ground,   
the redness stained floor  
But his time of suffering was not over  
and he was about to receive more

Lying there, he heard the tortured cries   
of his best friends  
The lives of his once enemies  
were coming to gruesome ends

Geoff writhed in agony,   
and Jack dared not to breathe  
The first king’s flesh was churning,   
and the other’s began to cleave

The King of roses spun blindly,   
his knives whirled in the air  
One found it’s way to Michael’s chest,   
and Gavin sobbed with despair

Ryan laughed and struck Ray down,   
but left Michael there to suffer  
He wanted the leader of the gang’s dark death   
be all the tougher

At last he wheeled on Gavin,   
wanting his lover to witness his death  
He wanted their blood to pool together   
in their final breaths

But Gavin was not the useless fool   
the Mad King knew him to be  
And he would soon feel the fury   
of the man who called himself Free

From Ray’s dead hand, he pried a knife,   
and slowly wiped a tear  
He’d make sure to avenge the deaths   
of allies he’d lost here

In rage and distress, he threw the knife,   
and pierced the Mag King’s temple  
But his enchantments aided him, and he pulled it out  
-to slay him would not be simple

He bent down low, and grabbed the gleaming sword   
by his lover’s side  
The Mad King swirled illusions around,   
and used them all to hide 

But in his fury, Gavin tore through them all  
one by one  
And just like that, he found his mark   
-the Mad King’s life was done

He sank to his knees, and stared with terror   
at the blade coming from his side  
The blade of Mogar had killed him at last  
With Gavin as it’s guide

The last remaining king stepped back,   
and looked in pain at all that had been done  
He’d killed the Mad King, and survived,   
but hadn’t really won

Geoff, Jack and Ray all lay dead,   
sprawled bloodily on the floor  
Michael and Ryan had both expired,   
leaving Gavin alone in the gore

Prince Gavin was finished with playing king   
-all he’d ever wanted was fun  
So he turned to do what he’d always done   
-he turned and intended to run

But before a single foot lifted to sprint,   
he felt a cold hand grasp his leg  
Ryan the Mad King had not yet died,   
and on his knees he begged

He begged for life, and Gavin lifted the sword   
to give him his due  
But a moment’s hesitation was enough,   
and before dying himself, The Mad King ran him through

And there they lay, in lands forgotten  
the bodies of the six great kings  
The heroes, villains, and star-crossed lovers  
from tales that people sing

Years ago, they ruled this land,  
cyclic, in fair turns  
But then the sword of Mogar stabbed;   
the fires of The Mad King burned

But one dark day, the Kings will all return,   
and plot again each other’s deaths  
The taste of power, sweet and cruel   
will bring about their final breaths’

The song was over. The young man gasped, and a strange pain stabbed at his heart. That song was not just a tale. They were...they were memories. His memories! The audience clapped but he stood awkwardly, stumbling into his table and almost falling to the ground. His vision blurred. His heart raced. He remembered with dread what he had tried to run away from. What he was still running away from. It’s why he woke up running when he came back the the land of the living.  
He rushed to a bathroom, picking up the rotting wooden bucket beside the sink, and sloshing its water into the basin. He scooped up some water in his hands and splashed it on his face, trying to hold down the tears. He looked into the grimy mirror and saw terrified green eyes staring back at him, framed by messy brown hair.  
‘No,’ he thought, ‘I don’t want to do this again, why couldn’t I have died for good that time?’  
But it was too late. He had run right back to his own past- his memories retrieved for him, and now he knew very well who he was. He was Prince Gavin, the Fool. And he had indeed returned.  
Gavin stumbled back into the main room, the faces around him seemed blurred- except for the face of the man with the curly hair- Michael. It was his Michael who had been staring at him in confusion this whole time. Gavin spun around, looking for him, wondering if he remembered too- wondered if he was proud of him.  
Then he felt a hand on his shoulder. He turned to see Michael standing behind him, dressed in the clothes of a peasant. Gavin wanted to yell, and cry, and laugh, and hug the life out of him, but Michael didn’t even smile.  
‘Gavin,’ he whispered hoarsely, his face still blank with surprise.  
‘Yes,’ Gavin said, ‘yes it’s me, I found-’  
‘We have to go.’ Michael said, interrupting him. And suddenly a grave expression found its way onto his face, and he looked once more like the mighty King Mogar Gavin had fallen in love with. Michael looked anxiously around the room, gesturing to three other men in the tavern. One was dressed in all black, staring sadly at the chipped vase of roses on his table. The other sat drinking by a bar at an angle, so his dark moustache could be seen. The last man looked big and burly, with large beard- he sat by himself in a corner looking angrily into space.  
But one man was not there. The man whose location they desperately needed to know.  
‘We have to go,’ Michael said quietly, ‘We have to run.’  
Gavin nodded. In truth, he didn’t know whether he meant run away to live in peace, or run to go find the Mad King and get revenge. The second sounded much more like Michael, and didn’t sound something Gavin was particularly fond of doing. But he didn’t actually care- he had been reunited with his warrior, and that’s all that mattered to him.  
So he took Michael’s hand as they ran out of the tavern, filled with dread and excitement for their new song to be sung.

**Author's Note:**

> I hope you enjoyed this story! It was a sort of precursor to the long fanfiction I wrote about the kings called Love and War. It's not the same story, but rather, another one tying both together with the concept of reincarnation and the cycle of royal rebirth. I wrote this months before writing Love and War but was always too lazy to post it...Oops. They're quite similar since the King's lives are basically cycles that they keep forgetting, but this one ends a lot happier than Love and War did. If you haven't read it, I'd really appreciate if you did! Feedback and comments (constructive please, I'm trying to become a better writer so be as harsh as necessary) are always welcome.


End file.
